PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

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So the old phrase "the church of your choice" no longer means your doctrinal choice. Like buying a sweater, "the church of your choice" is a church that reflects your style of life and your way of worshiping God. While these motives are negative factors in our churches because they minimize the doctrines taught in the Words of God, there is one plus. More non-church people are coming to our worship services than in previous years. When people search out churches where they find meaning or where their life's goals are supported, consumerism has resulted in an open door for evangelism. STYLES OF WORSHIP AND MINISTRY Historically, there have been two basic worship styles in the Protestant Church since the Reformation-"high church" and "low church." To describe them functionally we might refer to them as the liturgical worship service and the congregational style of worship. Liturgical worship usually follows a printed order of events that include the Invocation, Doxology, the Lord's Prayer, choir anthems, responsive reading of Scripture, choral response to the pastoral prayer, the Gloria Patri and the singing of "Amen" at the end of each hymn. Many believe the atmospheric worship of the Liturgical Church service expressed New Testament Christianity. Historically, there have not been many voices to challenge the credibility of this worship, but now there are some contemporary voices asking questions about its validity. The second type of worship has been an expression of the common people in church groups that did not come out of the main stream of the Reformation, that is, the Brethren of the Common Life, Anabaptists, Mennonites, Moravians, Puritans, Pilgrims and others. After the Reformation this second worship tradition would be followed by such groups as the Methodists, Congregational, Baptists, and Brethren. These groups were usually led by pastors without professional education who preached extemporaneously without a written manuscript. The preaching was emotional, persuasive and filled with illustrations and the idiomatic language of the common people. "Sweaty preaching" by "plowboy preachers" called for revival and renewal, and, in response, there were tears at the mourners bench. Singing of gospel songs expressed deep emotion. The services included testimonies, prayers from the laymen and, in some groups, shouts of "Amen" or "Hallelujah!" SIX WORSHIP PARADIGMS Defined by worship styles, six worship types or paradigms can now be identified within the Protestant Church 1 : (1) The Evangelistic Church that focuses on winning the lost; (2) The Bible Expositional Church that emphasizes teaching the Word of God; (3) The Renewal Church that focuses on excitement revival and touching God; (4) The Body-life Church focusing on fellowship (koinonia), relationships and small groups; (5) The Liturgical Church, which is still operational; and (6) The Congregational Church that expressed the people, also still operational.
SIX WORSHIP STYLES 1. The Evangelistic Church 2. The Bible Expositional Church 3. The Renewal Church 4. The Body-life Church 5. The Liturgical Church 6. The Congregational Church Six distinct philosophies of ministries and/or church growth have emerged in the thinking of Church Growth authorities. The six models came from their research and observation of the American church scene. At the center of each style of worship are several catalysts or types of "glue" that hold each church-type together. Whereas most Protestant churches will do many of the same things in worship or ministry-pray, sing, collect money, preach and so on-the way these things are done and the value that worshipers give to them make them distinctive. Each ministry style adds a unique value to one's experience of worship, making it different and, to many, making it desirable. THE EVANGELISTIC CHURCH The term "evangelistic" describes a style of ministry that emphasizes such activities as door-to-door visitation for evangelism, the altar call, Sunday School busing, and personal evangelism. These ministries, often called "soul-winning," are prized among an evangelistic church's members. One example of such a church is Bill Hybels' Willow Creek Community Church of South Barrington, Illinois (while Hybels disagrees with my assessment, I cannot place his style of church in the other categories). Hybels calls his Sunday morning service a "seeker service" where the unsaved can feel comfortable, barriers to their salvation are removed and sermon topics are slanted to their every day need or experience.
Page 1 and 2: PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS By E
Page 3 and 4: INTRODUCTION Since this is a book a
Page 5 and 6: True worship involves change and it
Page 7 and 8: under Martin Luther was a reformati
Page 9 and 10: these names represented a sect, an
Page 11: A similar variety of consumer optio
Page 15 and 16: The pastors told me they had not ch
Page 17 and 18: The Liturgical Church eagerly carri
Page 19 and 20: The average Christian knows about a
Page 21 and 22: So, let's learn what we need to kno
Page 23 and 24: young people from my church were co
Page 25 and 26: Dallas taught me to preach differen
Page 27 and 28: would not preach boring Pentecostal
Page 29 and 30: The third question I ask my student
Page 31 and 32: CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH TO DETERMINE
Page 33 and 34: that no man could count, from every
Page 35 and 36: outwardly committed to the process
Page 37 and 38: 2. Church Planting. At the beginnin
Page 39 and 40: METHODOLOGY APPLIED TO WORSHIP How
Page 41 and 42: CHAPTER FOUR WORSHIP WARS The churc
Page 43 and 44: The pastor liked the Bible Expositi
Page 45 and 46: Whether people disagree because of
Page 47 and 48: that help them cope with their prob
Page 49 and 50: society is apparently retreating fr
Page 51 and 52: 4. New worship forms have robbed th
Page 53 and 54: The ultimate question that some wou
Page 55 and 56: elationship with God we've been tal
Page 57 and 58: in evangelism are effective in maki
Page 59 and 60: soul-winning and reaching every ava
Page 61 and 62: have not been trained. Others fail
Page 63 and 64:
While some expository preachers ten
Page 65 and 66:
CHAPTER SEVEN THE RENEWAL CHURCH Ev
Page 67 and 68:
demonstrated in that miracles are o
Page 69 and 70:
most human needs can be met in a va
Page 71 and 72:
musical instruments including piano
Page 73 and 74:
ut the time is getting late. I thin
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pastor to emerge as a leader. Also,
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Church. This includes ministries su
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CHAPTER NINE THE LITURGICAL CHURCH
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the sanctuary and challenged the pe
Page 83 and 84:
individuals. Those gifted in this m
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strengths of this worship style int
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CHAPTER TEN THE CONGREGATIONAL CHUR
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This view of the church and ministr
Page 91 and 92:
THE STRENGTHS AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF
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He has given them to accomplish wha
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The critical group usually attacks
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Therefore, the question becomes one
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However, this does not mean that ex
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experience. Those attending The Bib
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What are some changes in worship me
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3. Recognize the strengths of the c
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THE FUTURE OF WORSHIP 1. A thirst f
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This involves kneeling at the altar
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Churches will use more video filmed
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The New Testament is different unli
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ADMINISTRATION, GIFT OF APPENDIX ON
Page 117 and 118:
areas. 4. Bridging - growth of the
Page 119 and 120:
fellowship of a local church. Those
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RENEWAL CHURCH A unique worship sty
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of the relationship between worship
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The Use of Proskuneo in the New Tes
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APPENDIX THREE CHRISTIAN LEADERS ON
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Worship is the exercise of the mind
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Dawn, Marva. Reaching Out Without D
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Morgenthaller, Sally. Worship Evang
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Sermons on worship from various 19t
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PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

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